|
Stanley Cup Rematch: Cats vs Oilers |
|
|
|
|
|
The Panthers had a nice 4-1 win over the hapless Nashville Predators on Tuesday night on the road in enemy territory.
Young gun Justin Sourdif scored his first NHL goal, with rookie Mackie Samoskevich notching his ninth of the season. Veterans Sam Bennet and Gustav Forsling put the other two biscuits in the basket.
Speaking of Sourdif, could the this kitten be seeing more time with the big cats..?
Beating up on a 20-30-7 Predators team is one thing, but the Cats will find they have a much tougher matchup tonight when the #2 Pacific Division Edmonton Oilers come to town.
EDM is an impressive 34-20-4, but have been sputtering lately. As
Litter Box Cats point out:
“
The reeling Oilers have been a complete mess since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, losing 6-3 in Philadelphia, 7-3 in Washington and 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday. A constant bright spot has been Rocket Richard Trophy-leader Leon Draisaitl, who scored in all three of the losses, and is riding a six-game goal streak and nine-game point streak.”
Struggling after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament isn’t surprising. Several teams have found themselves a bit out of sorts since the in-season tournament came to an end. I don’t taking the Oilers current struggles as any kind of reassurance for a win. They are, after all, still the Oilers, and as such, loaded with talent.
Let’s not take away from the fact that this will be the second clash between these two groups since the 2024 Stanley Cup Final - so there’s going to be a lot of juice in the tank (on both sides).
Florida will be at a bit of a disadvantage with Tkachuk out of the lineup again tonight. This is one of the reasons I’ve never been a fan of these in-season tournaments/Olympics, etc. They run the risk of guys getting injured, and the Panthers are currently living this reality with a key piece in #19 being out.
___________________
Bob in net. Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»
